It’s so easy to fall off our exercise routine. Life, kids, work, and just about everything else can get in the way and most of us allow it to happen. But, did you know that withdrawal from regular moderate physical activity for even two weeks can contribute to feelings of depression and fatigue? According to a study done by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), this is the case.

You’ve heard it a million times, if you want to get some physical activity in your day, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Most of us still refuse. It might be out of laziness, but it could be the idea that in this rush rush world of ours, we think it is faster. Well, a study done by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) proves this wrong.

Physical Activity may reduce the risk of breast cancer, particularly in women who have been consistently active through their lifespan, according to a study published in the February 2003 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Exercise, well known for its role in aiding and preventing cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and a score of other chronic diseases, may also benefit women by having a favorable effect on hormone levels, body weight, weight gain with age, and immune function according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

We've all done it. Stopped or slowed down our exercise routine because life or something has gotten in the way and "HELLO," pounds. So we start back up with our old routine and those pounds have decided to stay, so what’s up? Well, according to a study published in February of 2008 by the American College of Sports Medicine, weight gained caused by inconsistent exercise cannot be lost by simply resuming a previous exercise routine.

I will never forget the evening my husband and I were out to dinner and next to us was a couple we both decided were on their first date. Both of them would easily fit in the obese category. They started talking about working out and one said to the other that there really was no point because to get any benefits you had to work way too hard. Of course, my husband had to hold me down as I wanted to crawl over our table and set the story straight.

Most of us have heard that physical activity can help with the osteoporosis, but most of us don’t know that physical activity is presented as the only known intervention that can potentially increase bone mass and strength in the early years of life and reduce the risk of falling in older populations according to a new Position Stand from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) posted November 2004.

Mark Twain said, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” Does this sound familiar?

When lecturing about exercise and proper nutrition, I make a list of the top ten benefits (even though there are several) and always at the top of the list is, “Decreases the chance of heart disease.” The last item on the list is “Weight Reduction.” Why do I list them in that order? Because so many people think the only reason to exercise and eat right is to lose weight. Now don’t get me wrong, keeping our weight in check helps reduce our chances of heart disease, so the two work hand in hand.